A LHC division bench has dismissed the appeals of Punjab government and directed it to pay complete compensation to the children or wives of retired government officials even after their death.
LAHORE: (Urdu Point/Pakistan Point News-Feb 27th, 2020) Good news for the families of government employees as the Lahore High Court has ruled that they are entitled to have complete pension after retirement of government officials.
A LHC division led by Justice Ayesha A Malik has announced the verdict after hearing lengthy arguments of both sides on appeals moved by Punjab Finance department and Accountant General of Punjab. Justice Asim Hafeez was the other member of the bench.
A government school teacher’s wife has filed the petition seeking directives for the Punjab government to provide complete pension to her and her children.
The LHC allowed the petition on Feb 15, 2019 and directed the Punjab government to continue complete pension to the children and wife of retired government officials. “The children are entitled to draw complete pension even after the death of their father or mother who retired from any government job,” the court had ruled earlier.
The Punjab government and Punjab Accountant General, however, challenged the decision through appeal and said that it would be burden on the national exchequer. The division bench headed by Justice Ayesha A. Malik dismissed the appeals of the Punjab government and Punjab Accountant General and directed the government to pay complete pension to the children and wife of the retired government official.
“The AGP is custodian of Public money but he is not allowed to impose his own likes and dislikes,” the bench observed.
“The man will be entitled to draw complete pension of his retired government official wife and he could withdraw even after her death,” the bench ruled.
The remarkable judgment of the Lahore High Court on Punjab government appeals is a great recognition of government employees’ services for the nation.
According to another 2019 ruling of the LHC, non-payment of pension to the children and families of government employees is illegal and unlawful. Justice Ali Baqir Najfi of the LHC had given this verdict wherein the railways department was directed to pay pension to an aged wife of railway official Asad Ahmad Aziz who had resigned from his post. He had left the railways and joined PCB on deputation basis. The LHC had asked the Railways authorities as to why they did not take notice of his deputation base appointment with the PCB at that time, and recognized his services.
